Things You'll Need:
- A healthy respect for fire.
- Fire retardant clothing.
- Fire safety blanket.
- Fire extinguisher.
- First aid kit.
- Emergency plan.
- A commitment to sobriety (during the performance at least)
- A means to create a perimeter around fuel.
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Step 1
KNOW THE RULES:
1. Must stay sober as long as anything is on fire!
2. Remain calm under any circumstances. You are the person everyone is looking to & if you panic everyone else will follow.
3. Guard the fuel with your life! Spilled fuel is an enormous hazard.
4. No smoking around fuel!
5. Know basic first aid.
6. Closely monitor performers for unintentional fires, panic, tripping hazards, and any others signs of trouble.
7. Stay visible to performers. Commit to a location so you are easy to find.
8. Communicate calmly with performers. If you have 'safety words', know them & know when to use them. Use names to help get a person's attention & use simple, easy to understand terms (ie. "Heather. Left calf." OR "Shannon. Watch tree.").
9. Keep yourself safe. It would be pretty disastrous if the fire safety was out of commission. Show over.
10. Stick to your job. It's tough to avoid getting mesmerized or distracted by the high energy fire performing brings, but you need to keep it fun AND safe. -
Step 2
With the rules in mind, sit down with the performers before the event. TALK SERIOUSLY ABOUT THE FOLLOWING:
1. Their expectations. Are you to merely sit & watch for trouble? Are you also responsible for putting out equipment during the show? Are you responsible for lighting gear? Are you the only safety for the whole group or just one or two people?
2. Their choreography or lack thereof.
3. Their clothing/accessory choices, which may make your job more challenging.
4. The fuel types/mix they will be using & how that fuel will be contained & transported. Be familiar with fuel types (see 'How to Choose Fuel for a Fire Performance'). Also find out how excess fuel is being managed.
5. The type of gear they will be using (poi, staff, fans, fingers, hoops, whip, rope, etc..).
6. Safety & first aid gear they have or what you may need to provide. Know how to use everything. When someone is on fire is not the time to learn how to use a fire extinguisher or fire blanket!
7. Decide on safety words that may be helpful, but will not prompt panic from the audience (ie. avoid using the word 'fire', instead just say the area where the fire has occurred).
8. Decide on a worst case scenario emergency plan. Know where the nearest hospital is, how to handle a major fuel spill & have 911 programmed into your cell phone in case you set a building on fire & you need the fire department.
9. Are your permits/insurance requirements handled? This is the responsibility of the performers & should have been addressed if necessary (not usually an issue for a private party). -
Step 3
Take a deep breath & know that because you have taken the time to make safety a priority, you are far less likely to ever need your emergency plan. Instead of worry, you can take pride in keeping your performers & audience safe & happy.
